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36-Weeks Pregnant Woman Risks Safety to Save Little Boy

by Nicole Stevens on May 16, 2014

Nicole Stevens

About the Author

Nicole Stevens is a 30-something mom of four adorable kids. Her passions include spending time with her babies and doing research in the laboratory. She also enjoys crafts, photography, crochet, reading, and long walks. Her work has appeared elsewhere on WhattoExpect.com.

About the Blog

WhatToExpect.com supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

Thanks to a mama-to-be, who has remained anonymous, a 4-year-old boy is safe and sound after running away from his school during a bathroom break.

The little boy, who has autism, ran away from Monroe Elementary in Oklahoma City, Okla. The 36-weeks pregnant woman noticed him wandering near a busy intersection.

KFOR reports that she ran after the little boy once she spotted him, even though he was kicking and scared. Thankfully, she was able to keep him still and safe until police arrived on the scene and realized that he was a student at the school.

Members of the community are calling the woman "an amazing human being" for risking herself and her unborn child to help save a little stranger.

"To put her life second, her child's life second, to save another child, it's incredible," said Joel Decker, who lives near the intersection.

As for the mystery mom-to-be, she sent a text message that reads: "I just did what I would hope anyone would do! I'm not at all looking for any recognition."

Just one week later, a kindergartner from the same school slipped away and was found wandering many blocks further away. School officials released a statement saying they have addressed security issues with staff and made improvements that should prevent more incidents. A spokesperson for the school says they "are grateful that our schools have supportive citizens who care about our students and were able to assist."

We've had times when I was grateful for the kindness of strangers. Just last week, we were returning to our car after grocery shopping. My 3 year old was buckled in her car seat (or so I thought), and I was strapping the baby into her seat on the other side of the car. Suddenly, I heard my toddler say, "Oh no! My pinwheel is blowing away!" She bolted out of the car and started running through the parking lot.

I was yelling for her to stop as I hurried to make sure the baby was secure so I could chase after my toddler. Those few seconds might have been tragic. Luckily, just one car down from us, a mom and grandma were loading up their groceries. The grandma had already begun walking toward my toddler, scanning the area for moving vehicles. "Don't worry," the grandma told me. "I was watching her for you."

Whew! Profuse thanks to a kind stranger and a serious talk with my toddler were in order. I'm grateful for a caring community watching out for my kids, and always try to pay it forward by watching over all other kids. I think it's one of those parental instincts — we act as guardian angels when a child is in danger.

Has your family ever been helped by a kind stranger? Share below in the comments section!